Steve Lopez

Points West columnist Steve Lopez has the day off.

Re "An intersection's forgotten victim quietly moved on," Column, May 6 I, of course, have heard of Reginald Denny. I remember being absolutely horrified at his senseless beating. It was a scene straight out of a horror movie, and to me, it was akin to the end of the world - Armageddon, indeed, at Florence and Normandie. I was unaware of Fidel Lopez's plight. Steve Lopez's article about him was intriguing yet painful to read. The hopeful aspect of this story, which lifted my heart, was the appearance of a guardian angel in the form of the Rev. Bennie Newton, who stopped Lopez's attackers.

Remember when Lloyd Bentsen told Dan Quayle, "I knew Jack Kennedy. . . . Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy"? Well, I felt a little that way when it came to reviewing "The Soloist." I could back up and write all this in the reviewer's traditional third person, but that feels disingenuous. After all, I do know Steve Lopez, whose wonderful Los Angeles Times columns and later book about his unlikely friendship with a gifted but deeply troubled street musician started everything.

Santorum's theology Re "The over-the-top Santorum," Editorial, Feb. 21 Rick Santorum's attempts to explain away his use of the word "theology" as a generic word meaning "belief system" might fly if he had left out the Bible tie-in. That inclusion, coupled with his repeated campaign promises to weaken the separation of church and state, argues that he is a nimble, slick guy who has at least two faces: the tea party evangelical and the moderate family guy. The Times wrote that Santorum "should perhaps have realized that accusing the president of embracing an unbiblical 'theology' would be interpreted as a nod" to the canard that President Obama is a Muslim.

Los Angeles' skid row, as Steve Lopez writes in "The Soloist," is the homeless capital of the nation. Hidden in plain sight just down the street from City Hall and mere steps from the offices of this newspaper, skid row is a reeking repository of disease, drugs and desperation that most of us avoid when possible or hurriedly step past when necessary, averting our stares from hollow cheeks and hollow eyes, as if they were invisible.

Re "An intersection's forgotten victim quietly moved on," Column, May 6 I, of course, have heard of Reginald Denny. I remember being absolutely horrified at his senseless beating. It was a scene straight out of a horror movie, and to me, it was akin to the end of the world - Armageddon, indeed, at Florence and Normandie. I was unaware of Fidel Lopez's plight. Steve Lopez's article about him was intriguing yet painful to read. The hopeful aspect of this story, which lifted my heart, was the appearance of a guardian angel in the form of the Rev. Bennie Newton, who stopped Lopez's attackers.

I enjoyed "In the Strike Zone" [April 19], Steve Lopez's account of learning trout fishing from Darrell Kunitomi. I suspect that Kunitomi's side of the story might make for even more fun reading. Howard Anderson Glendale Catch and release is inhumane. Would you shoot a deer, pull the bullet out and let it wander off injured? Laura Frisk Encinitas

Re "Not Legal but Need a License? No Sweat," Sept. 5: If Steve Lopez can get a convincing fake driver's license, what is the point of giving illegal immigrants a real driver's license? Should we not be spending all this time and effort on devising an ID method that cannot be so easily faked? Dean Kennedy Alhambra

The California Endowment has committed more than $95,000 to support start-up activities for the recently launched Nathaniel Anthony Ayers Foundation, it was announced Wednesday. The foundation, which bears the name of a homeless musician profiled by Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez, will support organizations that provide arts programs to the mentally ill.

In the basements of the Disneyland and Paradise Pier hotels in Anaheim, big flat-screen monitors hang from the walls in rooms where uniformed crews do laundry. The monitors are like scoreboards, with employees' work speeds compared to one another. Workers are listed by name, so their colleagues can see who is quickest at loading pillow cases, sheets and other items into a laundry machine. It should come as no surprise that at the happiest place on Earth, not all the employees are smiling.

I remain three birthdays shy of the big 6-0, but recent developments in the world of modern technology have made it impossible for me to deny the obvious. I have officially hit old age. Part of me is still fighting it. For instance, I check Facebook now and then because I don't want to be crushed by the stampede, like some slow-footed lug at the running of the bulls. But when I'm honest with myself, I can't figure out why I should spend a minute looking at photos of family pets posted by people I haven't seen in 25 years.

Dreams & Schemes: My Decade of Fun in the Sun Steve Lopez Camino Books: 309 pp., $17.95 paper At most newspapers the first-person singular pronoun, like the nuclear football, is entrusted to one person at a time. Usually cityside columns go to native sons, like Chicago-born Mike Royko, or the congenital New Yorker Jimmy Breslin. Here in California, we're a tad more welcoming: the San Francisco Chronicle boulevardier Herb Caen hailed from Sacramento, the Los Angeles Times' gentle Jack Smith from Long Beach.

Taking on Mahony Re "Scandal taints end of tenure," Column, Feb. 20 After 25 years of superb leadership, one would think that Steve Lopez would focus on some of Cardinal Roger Mahony's positive accomplishments in L.A. Instead, Lopez put his focus on an elderly priest who slipped under the radar. Mahony has been a loud voice for comprehensive immigration reform and for elevating women to powerful positions in the church; he has walked with the janitors in their strike for better wages; he has worked to bring Christians and Jews closer together and on outreach to the Muslim and other religious communities.

Dinner guest Re "Hu drives straight for the heartland," Jan. 19, and "Hu treated to American feast," Jan. 20 Is it just me, or is there something decidedly unseemly about President Obama ? a Nobel Peace Prize winner ? hosting a state dinner (at taxpayer expense, of course) for the president of China, who jailed his country's Nobel Peace Prize winner and strong-armed lesser countries to go along with this travesty or else? I've been unemployed for seven months and am anxious for the production of jobs, but not at the hands of a leader who acts like a tyrant.

Mental illness can't be ignored Re "At the root of Tucson attack," Column, Jan. 11 I couldn't agree more that Jared Lee Loughner, the accused perpetrator of the Tucson tragedy, probably has a major mental disorder. It is illustrated in the many encounters described by schoolmates, neighbors and friends. I have been struck by the callousness that many people have expressed in regard to Loughner's situation, and the discounting of this illness as the cause of the massacre.

Re "Hollywood Is Taking Charities for a Ride," Dec. 10: Frankly, I agree that celebrities should donate their services free to these charities -- as many do. However, Steve Lopez should aim his gun turrets at the event organizers who are dangling the perks instead of taking cheap shots at David Schwimmer. Calling Schwimmer a "weasel" and degrading his work makes me wonder who is really lacking the true spirit of charity. Are you listening, Steve? Nonie Breen Calabasas Hills

Re "Put the Squeeze on Lemon Teachers," Aug. 22: Steve Lopez writes that on any given day 7% of teachers call in sick. Not to gross you out, Mr. Lopez, but many parents send their children to school when they are sick because of a lack of day care or planning. In turn, these students cough and sneeze and wipe things in strange places. We don't work in a sterile environment. Have you ever seen the children's bathrooms? Soap? Towels? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Same with the faculty bathrooms.

Dignity amid tragedy Re "Kneeling again next to RFK," Column, Nov. 21 Thanks to Steve Lopez for his moving column on Juan Romero. May it stand as a reminder that no matter how many draconian Arizona laws or Proposition 187s pass, you cannot take away the human dignity of those who are here to work and make a living. It must bring the Kennedy family some solace that in that horrible moment, on the cold floor of that pantry, there was someone of conscience to comfort Robert F. Kennedy in the only way he could.

The pot smoker behind the wheel Re "He tokes, giggles ? then drives like a Train Wreck," Column, Oct. 20, and "Taking a hit for a good cause," Column, Oct. 17 I hate to break it to Steve Lopez, but if he thought he was making a point about the future risks of driving while high on marijuana should Proposition 19 pass, then he's already living in the past, man. As a bicyclist in this city, I have a somewhat unique vantage point from...